The Grange - Human History (Introduction)

The Grange Human History

Human History of The Grange

The Grange Heathland Reserve was formally part of the tribal grounds of the Bunurong Tribe. The Bunurong occupied land south of the Yarra, on the Mornington Peninsular around Western Port Bay and on the southern reaches of the Dandenong Ranges. They considered their territory to be the land where the streams drain to the south to the Tarwin River.

Map showing the region of the Bunurong tribal lands

The Bunurong were one of the four member tribes of the Kulin Nation, which owned all the land of the Port Phillip area as far north as Euroa. They all spoke a similar language, although there were tribal differences. It was the practice for members of each of the tribes to marry outside their tribe, but within the Kulin Nation.

It is very difficult to establish the exact population size of the Bunurong prior to European settlement. This is because the Bunurong people had been in contact with sealers and whalers who probably brought disease and may have murdered them, before the first real census. At the first census in 1839, there were only 83 Bunurong remaining.